


Piece By Piece

by dadddarioomg



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M, also this is kinda au not really, and also some little max lightwood-bane, and robert surprisingly, its still shadowhunters world but with some au pieces here and there, kinda angsty but really alec centric, really sappy and cute at the end pls like it, with a lot of magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 09:48:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11826201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dadddarioomg/pseuds/dadddarioomg
Summary: Alec has finally made a name for himself, he's got the best husband in the world, he's got everything he could ever want. But Robert comes back, and Alec has to face the memories he's pushed so far behind him.





	Piece By Piece

**Author's Note:**

> basically its angsty but then it's really good. and not angsty. just, read it and you'll love it. also sorry for the summary, its angsty as hell. also robert is a piece of shit. based off of Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson.

  _“_ _And all I remember, is your back… leaving us all in your past.”_

 

_Alec stood at the top of the stairs to their house, his eyes just staring blankly at the wooden floor that was at the bottom of the stairs. They’d been yelling for weeks, and then there was the slamming of doors, and the hushed voices when they were around him and Izzy. He felt tears welling up in the back of his eyes, his chest tightening, and he felt like throwing up. This was a common re-occurrence in the Lightwood household. Alec on the stairs, listening to the screaming, Maryse sounding like she was going to cry, and Robert sounding angry and annoyed. Alec didn't understand it, how could he? He was eight years old. But he understood the fact that his dad wanted to leave them. He remembered him threatening that more than once, he and his dad didn't get along, but he had never thought it would come down to this._

 

_“Maryse, I’m not staying. I said sorry and that wasn’t enough for you!” Robert packed the suitcase on his bed, swearing under his breath as he just threw everything into the large case. He turned away from the bed, walking back into the closet to grab the rest of the things he intended on bringing. He grabbed the rest of the shirts that he wanted, along with some pairs of shoes and pants. He also grabbed his suits. He walked back into the bedroom, shoving all the things into the suitcase. He stood there and listened to Maryse, but he didn’t say anything, he barely acknowledged that she was speaking._

 

_“I’m not going to accept your apology for cheating on me, Robert. You can’t expect me to be okay with it. But you can’t leave them. Alec and Izzy, they’re your children, you can’t just abandon them like this.” Maryse’s voice was small in comparison the Robert’s yelling. She sat on the edge of the bed, dropping her head down so that it was resting in her hands, and a few tears rolled down her cheeks. “All I’m saying is that maybe, just maybe, you could be there for us. For Izzy. And especially for Alec. You know how much he admires you.” Maryse was whispering now, and Robert wasn’t even paying attention. He zipped up the suitcase, grabbed his phone and wallet from the bedside table, and walked towards the bedroom door, looking back at Maryse once before he turned and continued to walk towards the front door._

 

_Alec watched as Robert walked past the stairs, the man not evening noticing him up there, and he felt tears sliding down his face, too many to even try and mask. Robert walked out the door and made sure not to slam it behind him, and Alec was sure it was because he didn’t want to wake either him or Izzy up. He quickly hurried down the stairs, going to the window in the front room, peeking through the blinds, he watched as Robert walked down the sidewalk, his back to the window. Alec didn’t say anything, he could still hear Maryse’s stifled cries in the other room, and he watched Robert’s back until he was too far for him to be seen anymore._

 

* * *

 

“Alec! You did good today, I know it was your first time back in the field since you and Magnus’ came back from your honeymoon. Surprised I didn’t have to save you from all the demons, though your archery seems to be a _bit_ rusty.” Alec threw a glare Izzy’s way, though he felt his lips turn up into a grin as he heard her laughing. Seeing his grin, Izzy winked at him before she turned to the touch screen, wrapping her whip back around her arm into her usual bracelet as she looked through the file for the mission that they had just been on, filling out a quick report on their mission. She signed it, and then handed it off to Alec to sign off, meaning it was a successful mission. "Come on, Mr. Head of the Institute. Can't wait around for you all day, get a move on!"

  
“Izzy, shut up. I don’t need to hear that. Now you’ve got me all insecure. I’ll be practicing archery all afternoon now!” His retort back to Izzy was full of sarcasm, which she easily noticed, resulting in her shoving his shoulder playfully. Alec rolled his eyes at the childish actions from his sister, putting both his bow and his quiver of arrows back up on the weapons shelf, ensuring that they’re secure before he walks away. He signed off on the bottom of the iPad screen, handing the device back to Izzy before he went over to the touch screen himself. He pulled up the missions report from earlier that day, happy to see that every mission he’d assigned had been completed already. He took a moment though, sliding through all the different reports, his arms crossed over his chest as he focused on each and every one of them. “Jace, come here,” Alec turned his head, waiting for Jace to walk over to the screen and to be standing next to him before he started speaking again. “I’ve got just a few more missions I assigned today, these three in downtown Manhattan, and these two, one in Brooklyn and the other in Queens. You think you could handle making sure that these get done well and that everyone’s alive when they get back? I just need your signature on the reports they bring back.” When Jace nodded his head, Alec patted him on the back before he walked towards Izzy. “I’m gonna be in the office, there’s a few things I need to finish, so I’ve put Jace in charge of signing off on those missions. You okay with helping him when he needs it?”

 

“Duh. He’s gonna need all the help he can get. Clary’s gonna be here as well, she was just talking to Luke earlier and then she said she’d be back.” Alec nodded his head at Izzy’s reply and he started towards the direction of the office. He climbed up the short set of stairs, walked down two or three hallways, and finally reached the office. He pulled out his phone as well as the office key, unlocking the door first and then pushing it open. He then unlocked his phone after he walked into the office and opened up the messaging app, clicking on the name _Mr. Lightwood-Bane_. He typed up a quick message, _I’ll be home around ten or eleven, no later than midnight. There’s a bunch of paperwork they left for me while I was gone. I love you._ He read over the message before sending it, making sure it went through before he closed his phone. He looked up, and was shocked at who he saw sitting in one of the leather-seated wooden chairs in front of the desk. His face that previously held a smile fell into a stone-cold expression, his lips in a flat line. Not a smile, not a frown, nothing.

 

“Alec, sorry for not saying anything before. You seemed distracted. That girl, the one with the glasses, let me in here. She then locked the door behind herself as she left. Not too sure why.” Alec hadn’t seen his father in nearly ten years, when Alec had first become Head of the Institute and Robert had tried to take over the position. The man in front of him still had the cold, unwelcoming voice, he still had the same mannerisms that Alec remembered. Alec was in a bit of a shock, it wasn’t obvious on his face, but he really couldn’t believe that Robert would have the audacity to show up after all those years, especially after how his last visit ended. He had forced Robert to leave after the man had said terrible things about Magnus, and he said them right in front of Alec, so to see him here again absolutely blew Alec away. He hadn’t expected this, especially not on the day right after his honeymoon. Though he doubted his father knew that the reason he took leave was for his honeymoon.

 

“Robert. How can I help you?” His tone was short, curt, he didn’t let any emotions become visible on his face, even though he was feeling what felt like millions of emotions all at once. Hurt, anger, sadness, annoyance, disbelief. He walked towards his desk, shifting some paperwork around before he took a seat in the chair behind the wooden desk He finished moving paperwork out of the way so he was able to see Robert properly and he rested his elbows on the desk, his eyebrows raised as he waited for a response from the man in front of him. While he waited, he looked over Robert. He had gained a bit of weight, he had lost more hair over the years. Though he still had the same face that Alec remembered, the same tone of voice that reminded him too much of his childhood. It was all too familiar of him, yet at the same time, it seemed like a stranger was sitting in front of him.

 

“I came after I got word that you’d returned from your leave. I also happened to hear that you recently got married. I never got an invitation.” Robert’s tone was dry, uninterested even. Alec knew that Robert wasn’t here because he was mad about not receiving a wedding invitation. He knew that Robert still wanted the position Alec held, even though Robert had been head of the institute before, the man was selfish and wanted everything to himself, and to be his way.. Robert shifted in his seat, clearly a bit uncomfortable with the whole situation, but his face remained clear of any emotion, his eyes flickering over everything in the office. “I like what you’ve done with the place, though it seems a bit too- posh?- for your taste. Also a bit too colorful, you know? If it were me as the Head of the Institute, I’d have kept it pretty plain.” He stood up from his chair, walking around the office.

 

“You weren’t invited because last time you were here, you told me that my boyfriend, now husband, was an affair. And don’t forget, you said some terrible things about him- to him even-, and said some awful things about quite a few Downworlders. You also didn’t want anything to do with me until I became important. You made that very clear. So, sorry if you’re upset that you didn’t get an invitation, but you were not wanted there, by anyone.” Alec was straight to the point, blunt, and even aggressive with his words. “And about the office, said _husband_ helped decorate it. Tell him that you like it.” He watched as Robert stood up and just walked around the room, looking at each and every thing as he passed it, almost scrutinizing everything that there was to see. “And you’re not Head of the Institute, so you don’t get to control what the office looks like.” When Robert’s back was turned, he let his stone-cold expression fall, for half of a second, a frown on his face for a short moment. He cleared his throat before he spoke again, as his throat had gone dry for the short second that Robert was turned around. “If that’s all, I’m quite busy. You’re free to leave.” Alec grabbed a pen and a few pieces of paperwork, pretending to busy himself with them, though he really just wanted Robert to leave. He couldn’t focus if Robert was there, he couldn’t think at all really, his brain was going nearly a million miles an hour, and he could already feel the tightening in his chest. The same one he’d felt when Robert first left.

 

“Alec, I came back to make amends. I miss you, and Izzy. Speaking of, is she here? I’d love to see her again.” Alec stood up abruptly, this time his emotions clear on his face. Robert would never see Izzy if he had a say in the matter, he had to do everything in his power to keep him away from his sister. When he spoke, his voice was low, he wasn’t yelling, but he made sure to be loud and clear with his words. “You _aren’t_ seeing Izzy. You _are_ going to leave. Last time you came to make amends, that was complete bullshit. Now go. I will have someone escort you out.” Robert seemed stunned, never having seen Alec stand up for himself that way before, though Robert had missed a lot, he hadn’t seen Alec grow up at all, he only remembered the helpless eight year old that he left all those years ago. He was speechless, his gaze following Alec as he walked over to the office doors and pulled them open, calling for a Shadowhunter who was walking by to escort Robert out. “And they’ll have a warlock ready to portal you back to Idris. Next time, don’t come back.” He waited until Robert was being lead out of the office and down the hallway before shutting the office doors and he let out a deep breath he didn’t even know he’d been holding in. Tears pricked at the back of his eyes and he squeezed his eyes shut to keep them from falling, he had spent too long not thinking about his father to cry about him now. He took another deep breath in, slowly exhaling. He blinked his eyes open, a single tears making it halfway down his face before he hastily wiped it away, cursing at himself quietly. He locked the doors to his office and slowly made his way back to his desk. He sat down in the chair and pushed the paperwork away, yet again, and just laid his arms on the desk and laid his head on top of his arms. He closed his eyes, all of the memories that contained Robert came flooding back, and he felt more tears welling up in his eyes. “Fucking hell.” He breathed out shakily, wiping away any tears that managed to fall from his closed eyes.

 

* * *

 

_“But your love isn’t free, it has to be earned.... Back then I didn’t have anything you needed, so I was worthless.”_

 

_Robert slammed the front door behind him, his actions fueled by rage. Alec ran to the couch, taking a seat on the cushion, and he kept his head hanging down. He’d somehow managed to set Robert off again, he’d said something wrong or done something wrong, and now he had to face the consequences. Robert never hit him, he never physically did anything to him, but Robert tore down Alec’s self-confidence. He was seven years old, still learning from his mistakes, still growing, yet Robert treated him as if he was supposed to know everything under the sun. He set his hands in his lap and tried to distract himself by thinking of anything but the current situation, yet it wasn’t working, as it was hard to ignore Robert when he was like this._

 

_“Alexander Gideon Lightwood, what the hell is wrong with you? That was one of the officials of The Clave and you went and made a fool of me and your mother, I don’t even know what she’ll say about this when she returns from her trip. You can bet she’ll be astounded at the humility you’ve brought to us and our family name!” Robert’s voice was stern, clear, and obviously annoyed. He wasn’t screaming, he didn’t want Izzy to hear him, but he was loud enough that Alec was scared. Robert stood in front of Alec, his hands covering his eyes, exhaling short, angry breaths as he gathered his thoughts. He breathed in deeply before he spoke again, and after he moved his hands away from his face, Alec could see the rage in his eyes. “Do you ever think before you do anything, Alec? Don’t answer that, the answer is obviously no.” Robert scoffed, waving a hand Alec’s way and sitting on the coffee table so that he was eye level with Alec. “Listen to me,” Robert’s voice was cold, loud, and filled with anger, “Behave. You need to learn to behave. Now go to bed, I don’t want to see you until tomorrow morning, and when your mother returns, we'll talk more about your punishment.” With that, Robert stood up and walked away, off to his bedroom, where he presumably went to calm down._

 

_Alec had sat there through all the words his father spoke to him, wiping away any tears that managed to fall, despite him trying to keep them bottled up. Once Robert got up and left, he waited until the door was closed behind his father, and he started crying. The tears kept coming and coming, even as he got up from the couch and started towards the stairs. Walking up the stairs, he muffled his cries, not wanting to wake Izzy, as she’d came upstairs right when the three of them came home, and she had presumably put herself to bed in the time that Robert was speaking to Alec. He walked down the carpeted hallway to his room and pushed the door open. Once he was in his room, he shut the door behind him and laid on his bed, letting all the sobs come out now._ I don’t even know what I did, and he hates me. Only me. He doesn’t hate mom, or Izzy. I keep messing up, and he hates me so much. _His thoughts were loud, that same sentence on repeat in his mind._ He hates me, he hates me, he hates me. _He barely heard the door open over his cries, so when he felt someone crawling into his bed, he was startled._

 

_“Please stop crying. You’re brave, and if dad catches you crying, he’ll get angry,” Izzy’s voice was soft, quiet, and she was gentle when she wiped away the tears on his cheeks. “I don’t like it when this happens. You’re okay, Alec.” Izzy wrapped her arms around her older brother and rested her head on his chest. Alec threw his arms around her and tried to stifle his sobs, not wanting to worry his baby sister. She was five, she didn’t need to know what had happened between him and dad. Alec knew how much she looked up to their father, and he wasn’t going to be the one to ruin that image of Robert for her. “Alec, I love you. It’s all gonna be okay. Mom gets home from her trip tomorrow, and dad said we’ll have a celebratory dinner!” Her voice was excited, and he knew that she was trying to make the situation better, but the last thing Alec wanted was for him to be in front of Robert again, especially after what had happened tonight. He knew he’d have to face him though, it wasn’t like he could ignore his own father._

 

* * *

 

Magnus checked his phone for what seemed like the millionth time that evening, and still no message from Alec, not since earlier in the night when he said he’d be home around ten or eleven. Magnus looked towards the clock hanging on the wall, reading it was nearly 2:37 AM now, and that’s two hours that Alec had been unaccounted for. He ran his hand through his already-mussed up hair and let out an annoyed huff. He wasn’t annoyed with Alec, he understood the man had his duties as the Head of the Institute, but he was growing frustrated at himself; he didn’t want to be an annoying, overbearing husband, but he was worried. He pushed himself off of the couch and decided to just go and check on his husband, he’d portal himself into the Institute, check up on Alec, and then be out of his hair. He grabbed a coat from his coat rack near the front door, looked into the mirror hanging on the wall next to the coat rack and ensured that he looked presentable. He brushed his hand through his hair once more, this time trying to fix the mess of it. Once it looked alright to him, he turned to face his living room again. He snapped his fingers and blue magic showed on the pads of his fingers, and flicking his wrist, he created a portal that would land him in the hallway that lead to Alec’s office.

 

Stepping into the portal, he walked straight into the hallway of the Institute, and he shut the portal behind him. He walked down the hall, ignoring the growing pit of anxiety in his stomach as he got closer and closer to Alec’s office. He stood outside the doors for just a moment before knocking sharply on the door, sucking in a deep breath when he didn’t earn an immediate response. He pushed the doors open, surprised to find that they were unlocked. He let out a relieved sigh when he saw that his husband was at the desk, sleeping peacefully. A small smile played on his lips as he walked over to the desk, just watching Alec for a moment, not wanting to disturb him just yet. He ran a hand through his husband’s hair, brushing it out of his face, and the small smile on Magnus’ lips fell when he saw the tear stains on Alec’s cheeks. _Why on earth has he been crying?_ He stood there a second or too, racking his brain for any reason why Alec could have been crying, and he couldn’t think of a single reason. Unless something happened at the Institute earlier that he wasn’t aware of, there wasn’t a reason for Alec to have been crying as much as it seems he did.

 

“Alexander..” He gently shook the man’s shoulders, knowing that this alone wouldn’t wake up Alec, this man could sleep through anything. “Alexander. C’mon, it’s time to go home.” His smile returned when he saw Alec stirring and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Alec’s forehead. “Wake up, handsome. It’s late. We’ll get you home and maybe you’ll sleep more comfortably there.” He wasn’t planning on mentioning the tears to Alec, because while he didn’t know the reason, he assumed it was something Alec wasn’t ready to talk about yet. Alec doesn’t cry over just anything, and based on the fact that Alec fell asleep crying, he figured it was something big and he didn’t want to upset Alec in anyway. He hated seeing his husband cry, he also hated whoever made him cry, so while he wasn’t going to be asking Alec what happened tonight right at this moment, he’d ask as soon as Alec woke up the next morning.

 

When Alec woke up, it was to Magnus’ voice over him, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips, humming softly when he felt Magnus’ lips on his forehead.He sat up and blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands, he looked around him to find that he’d fallen asleep after Robert had left his office. The paperwork seemed undisturbed, as Alec wasn’t too wild of a sleeper, but his pen and paper he was about to work on were laying on the floor next to him. “It’s really late, I was beginning to worry. You said ten or eleven, twelve at latest, so when two rolled around I got nervous. I’m glad to see you’re alright though, wouldn’t like it if my husband died on me the day after we got back from our honeymoon.” _Husband_. That word coming from Magnus nearly made everything that had happened earlier leave Alec’s mind. He really was the luckiest man alive, getting to have the most perfect husband on the earth.

 

“Sorry, Magnus. Must’ve gotten caught up in this paperwork, I didn’t even realize I was tired until I just kinda knocked out?” He ended his phrase in a question and a yawn escaped his mouth, his eyes squeezing shut as he yawned. He heard Magnus laugh in front of him and he pointed a playful glare at him, shaking his head. “Don’t laugh at me, m’tired. You’re right, let's go home. I’ll get Jace to help with this in the morning. He’ll be quite pleased with me when he finds out that I didn't even finish up one piece of paperwork.” He pushed himself up out of the chair, steadying himself with his hands on the desk as his legs had gone numb while he was sitting down for all that time. He yawned once again, shaking his head when he heard Magnus laughing, yet again amused by the tiredness Alec was facing. “Got something snarky to say, huh? I’m too tired for you to be makin’ fun of me.” His voice was lulled with sleep, he wasn’t quite awake yet, and since Magnus was just going to portal them back home, he wasn’t planning on getting too awake, that'd make it nearly impossible for him to fall asleep again, and he desperately needed more sleep after the night he'd had.

 

“Alright, come on. Let’s get you back to bed, but this time, not in an uncomfortable chair. That can’t be good for you.” Magnus shook his head at his husband, completely endeared by the sleepy state that Alec was in. He walked out of the office after Alec, shutting the doors behind them, and he created another portal for the both of them to go back home. Putting his hand on Alec’s lower back, he lead them both through the open portal.

 

* * *

 

_“_ _But piece by piece, he collected me up, off the ground, where you abandoned things. Piece by piece he filled the holes that you burned in me at six years old, and you know, he never walks away… He takes care of me, 'cause he loves me. Piece by piece, he restored my faith that a man can be kind.”_

 

When Alec woke up again, it was actually morning this time, and he was in his own bed, not in his office office chair. He kept his eyes shut and rolled over on his other side, reaching for Magnus, and when he was met with an empty side of the bed he opened his eyes. His lips fell into a frown, and he laid still for a few moments more before he got out of their bed. “Magnus? Gonna leave me all alone in the morning? Not nice.” His voice was hoarse, scratchy, and low. He walked out of their bedroom and into the living room, seeing Magnus sitting on the couch with one of the many spell book's that he owned in hand. He also had a cup of fresh tea next to him, and a cup of coffee already prepared for Alec sitting on a coaster on the coffee table. He walked over to where Magnus was sitting and took a seat next to his husband, wrapping his arms around the man’s torso so he could cuddle up against his side. “Missed you. Thank you for bringing me home last night.” He pressed his lips against Magnus’ bicep, giving him a series of soft kisses on the bare skin of his arm, a smile settling on his lips as he did. He just rested his cheek against Magnus’ arm when he was done, his eyes falling shut as a content sigh escaped his parted lips, a smile still obvious on his features.

 

“Thought you’d never wake up, it’s nearly eleven, and usually you’re out of bed by nine. Long night I assume?” Magnus hummed as he felt Alec’s kisses being scattered all over his arm, a small smile resting on his lips as he just basked in the affection that Alec gave him. Alec was never a morning person, but with Magnus he always seemed to be in a good mood as soon as he woke up. While he waited for Alec’s reply, he set his spell book down next to his cup of tea and shifted his position, so that he and Alec were both more comfortable. He put a pillow between him and the side of the couch, so he was laying down instead of sitting up, which made Alec’s position much more comfortable, as the man was half-laying, half-sitting against Magnus’ side before, but now he was just laying against Magnus, his arms still around Magnus’ torso.

 

“Really long night. Had a visitor who put me in a bit of a mood, then I kinda fell asleep, like you saw. But it’s good now, all good.” It wasn’t all good, what Robert brought back wasn’t okay, but Alec wasn’t about to tell Magnus of all people how terrible Robert was and how he’d been reminded of his childhood. Magnus had one of the worst childhood’s he’d ever heard of, so for him to complain about his father seemed too insensitive. And he didn’t want to load all of that onto Magnus, he wanted him and Magnus to just spend time together, without any worries. He tightened his arms around Magnus, pulling himself closer to his husband, and scattered soft kisses along Magnus’ bare skin on the side of his stomach. He loved mornings like this, and he wished he could focus solely on himself and Magnus, but Robert was still in the back of his mind, so he was trying to distract himself.

 

“A visitor? I’m sorry they put you in a mood, must’ve been someone important if they affected you that much. Though you seem better now. If you need to talk about it though, I’m here. You know that.” Magnus knew it was more than what Alec was saying, he knew it was something big now that Alec had just brushed it off like it was nothing. But he wasn’t going to pressure Alec into speaking to him about something that might not even be concerning him. He mindlessly ran his hands through the mess of hair on Alec’s head, humming to himself as he did so, a content smile playing on his lips as he just took in the moment. Alec and him had spent a week and a half honeymooning, and he knew that both of them had gotten into the habit of spending their mornings like this; a bit lazy, focusing on only each other, spending hours talking about nothing and everything. But now that they were back home, Magnus knew Alec had to go back to work, and he had to start booking clients again. Pushing those thoughts away, he sighed out softly, his hands still in Alec’s hair. “You up for lunch? I know you just woke up, but it’s nearly twelve, and that’s lunch time. Not breakfast time.”

 

Alec nodded his head to Magnus’ question, mumbling his response so quietly that even he barely understood it. “M’not too hungry. But it depends on what you're making, I don't really know what I want.” He traced shapes along Magnus’ side and stomach, his eyes shut as he did, not wanting to open them and be faced with the fact that he had to go to work, and he had to deal with everything that Robert had reminded him of. He could vividly remember everything that Robert had put him through as a kid, and seeing Robert last night had brought all of those terrible memories back to the surface; memories that he had tried so hard to forget all these years. He fell quiet, no longer humming as he was previously, his hands still on Magnus’ side where he was tracing the shapes, he felt the same feeling in his stomach that he’d felt last night when he saw Robert. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes again, but this time he wasn’t going to let them fall. He kept his eyes shut, not wanting Magnus to see his tear-filled eyes, and he just stayed still until he willed the tears away.

 

“I’ll just conjure up some curry for us? You liked the chicken Tikka Masala we had in India last week.” With a flick of his wrist and a few blue, wispy sparks from his fingertips, Magnus had their kitchen table set up with two plates of the curry, two glasses of water, as well as a glass of wine for both him and Alec, if Alec decided he wanted some. He felt Alec still beside him, he no longer heard the content humming that was previously coming from Alec, and he grew worried once more. He kept his voice soft when he spoke to Alec, his hand resting on the back of Alec’s neck to offer him comfort in a way. “Alexander, if you need to talk about anything, I can listen. I maybe could offer some advice as well, if you’d like.” When Alec shook his head no, Magnus breathed out a sigh, his thumb rubbing circles over Alec’s skin. “Okay. I love you, though, and I’m here for you.” He leaned down to press a kiss to Alec’s head, letting his lips linger for a moment before he pulled away, standing up from the couch to go and sit at the table in the kitchen. “If you don’t hurry, your food will get cold. Room-temperature curry isn’t the best, I speak from experience.” The tone of his voice changed to a playful one, he was trying to lighten the mood and he didn’t want Alec to feel pressured into talking to Magnus if he didn’t want to. So when Alec got up, a small smile noticeable on his face, Magnus had a smile that mirrored his. “Glad you decided to join me, Alexander. Or should I say, husband,” Magnus grinned at his own words, his smile only growing wider when he saw the blush rising on Alec’s cheeks, “I’ll never get used to saying that. I’ve got a lovely husband, one who turns red at the mere mention of us being married.”

 

“Oh shut up, Magnus. I’m not turning red. Just got uh-” He paused for a moment to come up with an excuse before he shook his head, a grin on his face now, nearly forgetting what they were previously speaking about. “Yeah, you caught me.” He took a seat at the table, in the chair next to Magnus, and he just looked at the food. “I said I wasn’t hungry, but you were right. I really enjoyed the- what is this again? Tikka ma-whata?” He felt his ears getting hot as well, matching the feeling on his face, when Magnus started to laugh at him. He covered his face with his hands, grumbling under his breath though he still had a smile on his lips. “I’m sorry not everyone can pronounce every single food name. It’s not like I’ve been to India as much as you have.” He grabbed the fork next to his plate, ignoring Magnus, who was still laughing next to him at his mistake, and he just chuckled under his breath. He started to eat, only stopping for a moment after the first bite to glare at his still-laughing husband. Now it was more like cackling, and Alec could hardly contain his laugh when he saw the tears nearly coming out of Magnus’ eyes. “Magnus! It wasn’t that funny! Now you’re just makin’ fun of me. Rude.” Alec faked offense, taking a small sip of his water before he too started laughing, only encouraging Magnus.

 

“Alexander! Stop, I’m gonna cry and my eyeliner is going to start smudging if you don’t quit making me cackle like this!" When Alec began laughing as well, Magnus scoffed at him, gently pushing his shoulder. "Now look at you, laughing just as much as I am! This is your fault.” Magnus had to take breaths in between words, too busy laughing still, not so much at Alec but with him now. He finally caught his breath, and Alec did the same, and Magnus had a few tears falling down his cheeks. He picked up the napkin that he’d placed in his lap, about to wipe the few tears away, when Alec pushed his hand away and used his thumb to wipe the tears from underneath Magnus’ eye. A fond smile replaced the grin on Magnus’ face, becoming completely and utterly endeared with the small, yet meaningful action from Alec. Alec’s smile mirrored Magnus’, his heart feeling full with love for his husband. His voice was much calmer than previously when they were laughing when he spoke, and he reached over to Alec, taking the man’s hand in his own, squeezing it gently. “I love you, so much. Thank you for loving me.” Magnus felt like he was close to tears again, but it wasn’t from laughing, he was so overwhelmed with his love for Alec. He had never thought he’d be able to love anyone this way, and then he met Alec, and his life flipped upside down. Here he was, a warlock, living in his- their -home, with his husband, who loves him just as much.

 

“Magnus, I love you. More than I ever thought I was possible,” Alec felt close to tears as well, and while he had cried last night, this was because of a completely different emotion. He wasn’t hurting anymore, he wasn’t sad, or upset; he was filled with pure love for the man sitting next to him. This man has risked his life for Alec too many times to count, he’s picked Alec up at his weakest, he’s confided in Alec in his darkest times, he’s done nothing but love Alec, heart and soul. That is something Robert never did, and something that Robert had told him that he would never have. Yet, here he is. With the love of his life, laughing over little mistakes, proclaiming their love. He’s married to the love of his life, he’s going to start a family with him, he’s going to stay with him. Until the day he dies, he’ll stay with with Magnus. Alec felt a tear sliding down his cheek, and he didn’t even care. He dropped Magnus’ hand and instead stood up from his chair, and he pulled Magnus up as well, only to pull his husband into his arms and hug him. He started crying, resting his face in the space between Magnus’ shoulder and his neck, his tears hitting Magnus’ skin. “You have no idea how grateful I am to have you, Magnus. You’re- by the Angel. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

 

“Oh Alexander.” Magnus didn’t even have words to explain his love, and he knew Alec was having a hard time as well, but he knew how to express his love. He held on tightly to Alec for a few more moments before he pulled away, his heart aching when he saw Alec’s red rimmed eyes, filled with tears. “Please don’t cry. My pretty boy doesn’t need to cry over me.” He pressed a kiss to both of Alec’s cheekbones, water coating his lips, though he kept kissing each and every tear that fell. He then put both hands on either side of Alec’s face and pressed their foreheads together, causing their noses to bump together, drawing a soft chuckle from both his and Alec’s mouth. He rubbing his thumbs underneath Alec’s eyes, gathering anymore tears that had managed to fall, before he pressed his lips against Alec’s. His eyes fell shut, and so did Alec’s, as their lips moved together, fitting perfectly. They stood like that for a moment, savoring each other’s presence and taking in everything, Alec’s hands on Magnus’ waist, his fingers slipping under the silk shirt that Magnus had put on sometime between the time he went from the couch to the kitchen. Magnus’ hands holding Alec’s face, gently, just holding him so that Alec knew he was there, that he wasn’t leaving. Alec was the first to pull away, his breath nearly taken away from the pure emotion of it all, his voice cracking when he spoke. “Magnus, thank you. You- you put me back together. You fixed me, and I never thought I’d be able to be loved like this, I never thought that I could be cared for like you. I’m saying it again, because I don’t know how else to tell you, but I love you. And I’m so thankful that you’ve stayed-” His voice cracked completely on the last word, his eyes filled with tears yet again, and Magnus just shook his head. “I’m going to stay with you, Alexander Lightwood, because I love you. And you’re the only one for me.” He pressed a quick, soft kiss to Alec’s lips, holding it there for a second or two, before pulling away to make sure his husband wasn’t crying again. “As long as you put up with me, I”ll stay. Forever.”

 

* * *

 

_“_ _Piece by piece I fell far from the tree, I will never leave him like you left me. And he will never have to wonder his worth, because unlike you, I’m going to put him first and you know, he’ll never walk away. He’ll never break his heart. He’ll take care of things, he’ll love him. Piece by piece, he restored my faith, that a man can be kind and a father should be great.”_

 

“Max, Magnus! Ready or not, here I come.” Alec uncovered his eyes, looking around the living room from where he was standing. He heard giggling in the other room, from both his husband and his son, and he shook his head. “Where could they be? It’s not like they’re giggling and I can hear them!” His voice carried through the loft, and the two fell silent in the other room, with the occasional _“Shh”_ from Max to Magnus, or vice versa. Alec pretended to look in the living room for a few moments before he walked into the boy’s bedroom, immediately noticing the two behind the dark grey curtains that hung in Max’s room. “Where on earth are they? Have these two fooled me, yet again?!” His voice held sarcasm, he looked into the closet, shaking his head when he didn’t see either of them, obviously, and he went to look behind the toy box in the room.

 

“Papa, he’s not good at this game.” He heard Max’s whisper and faked offense as he turned around quickly, looking over to where the curtains were hanging. “Was that little Max I heard? Is he talking about me behind my back?” He heard another giggle coming from where Magnus and Max were hiding behind the curtains and he walked over to them, throwing open the curtains to see Magnus squatting down and Max sitting in his lap. “Dad! You finally found us! We were waiting forever for you, you’re not good at hide and seek. I told papa that while you were lookin’ in the closet.” Max’s grin was priceless to Alec, he felt his heart fill with adoration for his son. “Oh, c’mere ya little blue boy.” He took Max from Magnus’ lap and swung him around in the air. He grinned as he heard the laughs flying from Max’s mouth and he held the boy against his chest, holding onto him tightly. “Dad, you’re kinda squishing me. I gotta get down so we can play hide and seek again, this time I’ll be looking for you and papa!” Max squirmed his way out of Alec’s arms, and once the boy’s feet hit the ground, he took off running into the living room. Alec watched as Max ran off and then turned to Magnus, offering him a hand so he could get up off the ground.

 

“Blueberry was right, you kinda suck at that game.” Magnus patted Alec’s chest, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips when he heard Alec’s scoff. Before Alec could even start defending himself, Magnus pressed his lips against Alec’s, smiling into the kiss when Alec stopped short of talking. He pulled away after a moment, nodding his head in a sort of confirmation way. “That’s what I thought. Got nothing to say. Now c’mon, Max is waiting for us. I think he’s already started counting, so we haven’t got long to hide.” Alec watched as Magnus walked out of the room, a grin still obvious on his lips as he heard Max’s counting. “1, 2, 4, uh- Papa! What comes after four?” Max yelled for Magnus, and Magnus' reply was another yell back. It brought a warmth to Alec's heart to hear his son and his husband interacting. He stood in Max’s room for a minute longer, just looking around at everything on the walls, the mess on the floor from where Max and Magnus were playing earlier. He felt proud, he felt happy, he liked to think that he was a good father to Max, and Max seemed happy too. All four year old children are happy most of the time, but Max was always happy, even more happy when both Alec and Magnus spent their time with him, and it brought joy to Alec’s heart to know that he was doing good. Unlike Robert, he planned to be there for Max. And Magnus was there for Max as well, which warmed Alec’s heart. If he would ever admit this, he had been nervous at first to have children, but with Magnus in his life, he didn’t feel the same anxiousness he did when he still thought that all fathers were terrible.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he faintly heard Max yelling out the number thirty, meaning his time was up and he needed to hide. He looked around Max’s room before just going for the closet, shutting the doors behind him, squishing his tall, broad self into the small space. “Ready or not, here I come! And dad, no bad hiding spots. Papa! No magic allowed! That's cheating!” 

 

 


End file.
